The Gambler's Stone
by Eternity sword
Summary: In which a coin defies probability, nature, and destiny to land on the opposite side, and then everything falls out of place. An AU that will span all 7 years, starting before Harry's even born.
1. Chapter 1

Petunia wept as she read the letter again. It wasn't fair! Why couldn't she have magic? It just didn't make any sense! Magic runs in families, but sometimes random people have magic? But those random people's sibling didn't have magic?

Why does Lily always get everything? Everything she wants, everything Petunia wants, and then Petunia's left with all the leftovers.

The two siblings had always been close, but Petunia couldn't ever help but envy her sister, because Lily had everything. She was more creative, more intelligent (how in the world did Lily forget to study and ace tests when Petunia studied all week and barely passed?), and as Petunia hit puberty, she knew she'd never compare to the green eyed, red haired princess, not with her long neck and bland features. And now Lily was a witch.

Ever since Petunia had found out, she'd been writing to the headmaster of the school, wanting to know if she could come. Couldn't she learn magic? Why not? Then why was Lily born with magic, but not her? Each time she'd been refuted, but this time it was final: she wasn't born with magic, she just wasn't lucky enough to be born with it. And this upset Petunia more than anything else.

Petunia sniffed, wiping her eyes. And then everything was calm. She felt numb, hollow, and for a moment she noted that it was a feeling that would disturb most people, but it let her think clearly. There were two primary ways she could go about this now. One, she stops liking her sister, pretends she doesn't like magic, and insults her sister as much as possible, eventually becoming a miserable old harpy who nobody likes, thus making her own situation worse and making Lily seem like even more of a perfect angel.

Or two, she dedicates herself to becoming the best person she can be, disregarding magic, being successful- the best sort of revenge she could have, outdoing her sister and still keeping their friendship. It would be so easy to go down path number one. Instant gratification, Petunia thought. But ultimately I'll just be unhappy, unaccomplished, and then I really will have nothing. The second option will make me happy. I may even be noticed as something other than Lily's sister. But it'll take so long, years. It will require patience, diligence.

At that moment a coin was tossed, and winds and magnets made it seem certain that it would land on heads. Two old men gambled that it would. Instead, it landed on tails.

And everything changed.

* * *

Over the next several years, Petunia put as much effort into being better as humanly possible. She forgot what friendship was, too busy studying, preparing for the future, and petty as it was, trying to be prettier.

By the time she was sixteen, she was known as the beautiful ice queen who rebuffed anyone who failed to prove themselves- that is, almost everyone. She was tall, and had some well-toned muscles, her blond hair was perfect in waves, and her eyes drew people in, freezing them all. She was the top student in everything. She only had one friend, Annelie Hansen. The two girls were inseparable, the only person Petunia would spend time with, and be friendly and open towards. She even knew about magic.

When Petunia was seventeen, she met a boy. His name was Vernon Dursley, and she was rather ambivalent about him. He was smart, she'd give him that. He was second in his classes, right behind her. And he wasn't terrible to look at, no worse than the other boys his age, blond haired, and extremely tall. He had quite the muscles, too, but a bit of pudge that could become rather unattractive if left to grow. He also had a rather murderous temper, her complete opposite. They worked together several times in class and found that they liked each other quite a bit.

"If you like me so much," Vernon said. "Why won't you go out with me?" He was more than slightly peeved. He liked her, she liked him, but refused to date him? Even once? He would never understand women!

"The only thing I don't like about you can't be ignored," she stated bluntly.

"And what I that?"

"A drill company. That's your career plan. You don't even like business," she said coldly. "You're just doing this for your father, who you don't even like. That's your plan. Get married, get a job you don't like, have one kid to boast about, and then die miserably, leaving behind a reputation as a boring moron. If that's what you actually wanted, fine, I could get past you're rather pathetic attitudes, but I'm not wasting my time on a loser who just does whatever his father tells him to."

Vernon was flabbergasted. Was it really that obvious that he didn't want to go into that job? In truth, he'd always wanted to be a police officer, never mind what he may be paid, never mind any danger. He'd always looked up to them.

"What if I don't do what my father wants?" he asked. Petunia looked at him appraisingly, and then she gave a stiff nod.

"Then you may be worth my time."

* * *

Vernon Dursley did as he said he would, and never looked over to the drill company again, opting to become a police officer as he'd always dreamed of being. Petunia surprised him, announcing that she planned on going to medical school, and becoming a pathologist.

"I'll go on and become a coroner," she said. She was quickly gaining renown as the best student, a prodigy. Petunia and Vernon got married not long after graduation, and a couple years later they attended that of Lily's. Vernon knew about the two sisters, how Petunia had often envied her younger sister when they were younger.

"She was always better than me," Petunia had explained. "Smarter, prettier…and she's a witch." She had explained magic to Vernon, and how she had wanted to be a witch too, but wasn't.

Vernon reminded her about all the good things, how she was going to be a successful coroner, and be happy by her own doing. And Vernon didn't think Lily was that pretty, anyways. He much preferred his wife's icy blue eyes to any others in the world. After the wedding, he started talking to James, Lily's new husband.

"I'm going to be an auror," James said excitedly. "I'm already in the academy, and my parents were aurors too!"

"Excuse me," Vernon said politely. "But I don't know what an auror is."

"Oh, of course!" James said, ruffling his hair, embarrassed. "Muggles don't have aurors. Lily told me that the police are the Muggle equivalent." Vernon brightened.

"Really? Well, then! I'm a police officer!" A grin on his face, he and James began chatting away, becoming friends over mutual interest in maintaining law and protecting the populace. James tried to introduce Vernon to his best friend, Sirius, but ultimately Sirius' cocky nature grated Vernon a little too much.

Petunia and Vernon left the wedding feeling much closer to the Potters than they'd expected, Petunia even cracking a smile for her sister.

* * *

Over the next two years, the Dursleys prospered and their name gained quite the reputation over their neighborhood as the helpful couple who contributed to the world as much as two people as young as they could.

Vernon worked as a police officer, and quickly rose in respect. Everyone was waiting to see him promoted.

Then something strange happened. An entire family was murdered, or so everyone figured they were. But there was no cause of death. No injuries at all on their bodies, but they were all in perfect health. And perfectly healthy people don't just drop dead. But no investigators could find anything, and so they were forced to drop the case. It was with a heavy heart, grieving the unknown family that Vernon came home to Petunia after the case was closed. He told Petunia about it, how strange it was, how these people seemed to have just died without any cause. Petunia felt a tugging feeling in her mind, and she remembered how her sister had mentioned that not all magic is good, remembered her brother-in-law who was the wizard's equivalent of a police officer.

Sharing her suspicions with Vernon, she contacted her sister, telling her about the peculiar deaths of this family. Within a day Lily and James were in their living room.

"James, watch your mouth," Lily said, after James let out a rather unpleasant string of words after Vernon handed them a photograph of the victims.

"Sorry, Lily, but…I know this guy. He works in the Ministry. I talk to him, sometimes."

"I'm sorry," Vernon said. "But do you know how this was done? We can't arrest anyone if we can't even figure out how they were killed." James shook his head.

"It was the killing curse," he said. "But you don't need to worry about this now, it's my job to find who did it."

"James," Lily interrupted, "You don't think this has anything to do with…" James sighed with frustration.

"What doesn't have to do with Voldemort these days?"

"Voldemort?" Petunia interjected. "Who's Voldemort?"

"A bad wizard," Lily said, "Really bad, bad as can be."

"He think everyone who isn't a pureblooded wizard is trash, basically. Goes around killing Muggleborns, and Muggles, and anyone who doesn't join his side in the war he started."

"Unfortunately," Lily said, "Strange, unsolved, brutal murders are practically becoming everyday news with that madman around." The Dursleys felt stones in their stomachs.

"What can we do to help?" Vernon asked dutifully.

"You can stay here, and forget this ever happened," James said. "This is a wizard's problem, you don't need to worry about it."

"Don't need to- are you mad? This guy's going around killing everyone and we shouldn't worry about it?"

"Vernon's right," Petunia put in, calmer than her husband. "This Voldemort is killing Muggles, Muggleborns, and people who refuse to join him? Then the four of us are all three. And really, if he wins this war against you wizards, he clearly won't care about your 'Statute of Secrecy.' Then he'll start coming after Muggles in the open, and won't it be our problem, then?"

* * *

The Dursleys let it go for then, hoping that the wizarding world would be able to win the war before it became open. But Petunia had a sense of dread in her that refused to relent. She feared for her sister.

It wasn't too long after this that she found that she was pregnant. Vernon was overjoyed as well, and he may well have gone a little overboard when he was decorating the new nursery.

"Dudley," Petunia repeated blankly. Vernon nodded enthusiastically. Petunia raised her eyebrow. "Who the bloody hell names their poor kid Dudley? Dudley Dursley? Did someone come into our house and spike your coffee, or have you lost your wits on your own accord?"

Vernon blushed. "Dudley Dursley, Dudley Dursley," he muttered. "It does sound like a joke," he admitted. "But it was my grandfather's name and I'd like to name my son after him." Petunia sighed. It sounded stupid, but if it meant something to her husband, it was hard to deny it.

"Alright," she consented. "But we're giving him a middle name, one that he can fall back on just in case, okay?" So it was that several months later Dudley Iagan Dursley was born.

* * *

Less than a year later Lily gave birth to one Harry James Potter. And then the Potters dropped off the face of the earth. Vernon and Petunia were very concerned, Lily and James were now almost impossible to contact, and on the occasion that they did respond, the letters were often less than four sentences long. Petunia figured that they were in hiding, and from what else than Voldemort. The time had come that he was after the Potters, and the Dursleys feared there was nothing they could do about it.

Soon the contact stopped completely.

* * *

Mr. and Mrs. Dursley were proud to say that they weren't normal, thank you very much. And they were quite involved in strange and mysterious things, no matter the fact that they had to hide the strangest of all.

Mr. Dursley was a police officer. He was a tall, muscular man who put many professional boxers to shame. His other noteworthy feature was his large mustache, which people tended to stare at when talking to him. Mr. Dursley always noticed, and was rather amused by the reaction. Mrs. Dursley was also tall, attractively thin, with a pronounced long neck. The young couple had one son named Dudley, and with them raising him, he was a fine young boy.

The Dursleys were also keeping a secret- a secret named Potter. Their in-laws were, in fact, a witch and a wizard, and the Dursleys were sworn to never tell anyone about magic. The Potters also had a young son, named Harry, and the Dursleys would love to have their boys play with each other, but they had only ever seen the boy once, and they hadn't even seen Lily and James since then.

On the first day of November, they went about their business as usual, but Mr. Dursley couldn't help but notice a few peculiar things. Like the cat reading a map, a bunch of people walking around in cloaks (which, he recalled, was the normal fashion for wizards) and a swarm of owls in broad daylight. Dursley wasn't an idiot. He knew something was going on with those wizards, but what he didn't know.

At lunch time, he decided to treat himself to a bun from the bakery. There were several wizards there, too, and Vernon had a hard time refraining from reminding them about their Statute of Secrecy.

"The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard-"

"-Yes, their son, Harry-"

Vernon stopped, shocked. The Potters, Harry? What did they have to do with this? He considered what to do, then decided to go ask the wizards.

"Excuse me," he said to them. For a moment the wizards looked fearful. "James and Lily Potter are my in-laws and my friends. What happened exactly?" One of the wizards looked sad for a moment.

"Well, sir, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named went after them…and he killed them."

"What?" Vernon stammered. Dead? Lily and James? Grief overtook him as he recalled all the times they spent together. And Petunia! How was he to tell her?

"But their son," the other wizard continued. "He survived! He survived the killing curse, and it killed You Know Who!" Vernon gasped at this news.

"Then he's okay? Where is he now?" The wizard shrugged.

"Nobody knows."

When Vernon went home, he had Petunia put Dudley in his nursery before telling her what had transpired. For the first time he could remember, his strong, composed wife cried in his arms, mourning her younger sister.

* * *

In the morning Petunia found Harry Potter on their doorstep. Her first thought was to take the boy in, feeding him, and then introducing him to Dudley, who giggled and tried to grab his cousin's nose. Vernon read the letter that had been left, and then ranted about this Dumbledore who figured it was okay to leave an infant outside overnight. But they took Harry in happily, swearing to protect the boy. They wouldn't let what happened to his parents happen to him. And if it was possible that Voldemort was still out there (and Petunia was certain he was, because monsters never just disappear), then he'd be in for an unpleasant surprise when he dared look at these Muggles.

A coin had been tossed many years ago, and then everything changed.

**So here's the first chapter! I hope everyone likes it. I know the Dursleys aren't the best read in the world, but this was pretty necessary. And hopefully these different Dursleys are a little more likable than the canon ones. Anyways, please review, and if you do, let me know if you think i ought to change the name of this fic.**


	2. Chapter 2

When Petunia and Vernon first took Harry in, they worried that they may not be fit for it. They already had one baby, and they weren't exactly experienced parents. These fears were quickly forgotten as Harry became part of their lives. Soon, it was as though he had always been there. They were also happy to find that Dudley liked his cousin. They played together; they walked towards each other when they took their first steps. Petunia had no doubts that they'd be inseparable when they grew older. The two boys were practically brothers.

Indeed, they hadn't realized they weren't until they were four. Vernon heard Dudley call Harry his brother. He wasn't certain as to whether he should tell them- it wasn't a bad misunderstanding, it was rather heartwarming, even. But ultimately, Vernon and Petunia couldn't keep Harry's parentage secret forever. Best not to hurt him later on. So he and Petunia explained to Harry and Dudley about cousins, and how Harry was Dudley's cousin.

Dudley had pouted, sticking his lip out. Harry was nearly in tears. Dudley grabbed Harry's hand. "Can we be brothers, too?" The knowledge that they were cousins didn't cause any distance between them, it only strengthened their bond.

And while they raised Dudley and Harry, they also looked for answers. They knew the basics of James and Lily's deaths, but 'they said no to Voldemort and he came after them' wasn't enough of an explanation for them. There was something Dumbledore wasn't telling them, and the Dursleys refused to be left in the dark. So they looked, and looked for someone, anyone to give them the answers they needed.

First, they searched for Sirius Black- James best friend, the best man at Lily and James' wedding, Harry's godfather. If anyone had answers it would be him. But the Dursleys' search for him was unrewarded- there was no trace left of Sirius Black, and the Dursleys couldn't contact him. It seemed that he'd left the world with his best friend.

They tried to contact Dumbledore, as he was supposedly the best and wisest wizard of the modern age (though Vernon would protest to that- only a fool would leave a baby alone outside, in the cold) so certainly he knew more than he'd told them. After numerous letters went unanswered, the Dursleys gave up on Dumbledore. And, Petunia reasoned, if he wanted to give them answers, certainly he'd have answered by then. And if he knew something (which the Dursleys were now sure he did- if he didn't know, he could have said so), he probably was keeping it from them for a specific reason.

Not a good reason, they were sure.

They wanted to know more than ever.

This went on for a couple years. Longbottoms- no contact. The McKinnons- no, no- they were dead. Minerva McGonagall- also refused to respond to them. Whatever Dumbledore was doing, she was involved. At the very least, she remained silent. They tried to track down Alastor Moody- and gave up within a week. Petunia had met that man once, and frankly, he'd probably give them more trouble than he'd be worth. Bloody madman. More importantly, they tried to find Peter Pettigrew- only to find that he'd been killed. Vernon had discovered that Peter had been killed (_destroyed_, apparently) the day after James and Lily had been killed. But that wasn't the surprising part.

"Sirius?" Petunia murmured. She shook her head, and looked behind, and seeing that Dudley and Harry were preoccupied playing with letter-cubes, she resumed the conversation. "That…doesn't sound right. I never knew him too well, but that just sounds…not. Like. Him." She narrowed her eyes and said the last several words firmly. She looked to Vernon. "I think there's something very wrong with this."

Vernon nodded grimly. "I always talked to James when we met. We talked about law enforcement in each of our worlds… It sounded to me like their Ministry was going a little mad over Voldemort and his followers. James told me about people getting thrown into prison- _for life!_- without getting trials. And, bloody hell, it doesn't seem to me that there was even an investigation!"

Sirius, again, would have been the person to go to for answers. They knew where he was now- it could only ever be Azkaban. But they were no closer to him now. They would hold their opinions of him, however. And if a day should come that they may help him, they would.

The best chance they had was one Remus Lupin. The last member of the Potter's primary circle of friends, the last one who may have answers for them. They were…aware or his problem, of course. But it didn't matter. The only problem was that it left Lupin with difficulties finding a job. And so, he was always moving around, never in one place. But this was one person the Dursleys wouldn't give up on looking for.

In the meantime, life went on. Soon they noticed something about Harry- something he'd gotten from his father. Eye problems. They had his eyes examined, and got him a pair of glasses to help.

Harry frowned as he looked into a mirror. "I look stupid," he pouted. He took them off, and blinked as everything went back to fuzziness.

"You don't look stupid," Vernon said, taking the glasses and putting them back on Harry.

"You'll look more stupid if you tumble around without them, Harry," Petunia pointed out. "You'll run into everything and hurt yourself. That is stupid."

"What if other kids tease me?" Harry said worriedly. "Nobody ever likes the kids with glasses…"

Dudley grinned at Harry. "If they don't like you, they're stupid!"

And with that, Harry's problem was solved.

He did, unfortunately, have problems with other kids. They liked to chase him, tried to hurt him, but Harry always knew where to run to- his big brother. Dudley did not respond well to people trying to hurt his little brother. They'd soon be the ones running. Dudley rarely ever actually hurt the bullies, but when he did, they wouldn't forget it.

The two of them were rarely without the other, as well as another. When they were about five, Petunia regained contact with her school-days best friend- Annelie Hansen- now Annelie McLeod. To Petunia's delight, Annelie had a daughter only two months younger than Harry. Petunia invited Annelie and her family over, and as she reconnected with her friend, their children had befriended each other. Ever since then, Karen had joined Harry and Dudley, an inseparable group.

It was two months before Harry turned six that Vernon and Petunia finally had a breakthrough: they'd found Remus. He seemed to have aged a decade in five years. But then, it was understandable. What with his condition, his apparent homelessness, and the tragedy that was his friends, it would be a miracle to be unaffected. Vernon, having been the one to find him, dressed in rags, and with no home, immediately took him to his house.

"You don't have to do this, you know," Remus said, tiredly. He remembered Vernon. He'd met him a few times before… He was a good man, but he didn't have to help Remus. "Just because we had a common friend…please don't think you have any responsibility over me."

"Now, now," Vernon said. "I'm not doing this because of James. Not directly anyways. And I do have a responsibility to help a fellow man." Remus raised an eyebrow at 'man'. "And just because you get hairier on full moons doesn't disqualify you as a man, so don't bother."

Remus sighed and looked out the window of the car as Vernon drove towards his house. "It's been a while since anyone's said something like that. Thank you, Mr. Dursley."

"It's Vernon. And don't thank me yet- I do have a bit of a price for my help in this instance." Remus worried for a moment- he had no money- but Vernon shook his head. "Not money- by God, do you really think I'd make you pay for basic living needs?- an interrogation."

Remus raised his eyebrows. "An interrogation? And what am I being interrogated for exactly?"

"You remember Harry, of course." Remus' eyes brightened.

"Of course I remember Harry! Do you know where he is? Is he okay?"

"Petunia and I have been raising him. Found him on our doorstep the day after…you know. Thing is, the only explanation we got came from a letter- a bloody letter! As if that's enough, and we shouldn't question a thing. Well, see, Petunia and I _do_ question things. It's our job to question things. So we've been looking for answers for the last five years, but we haven't had any luck. It seems like everyone disappeared! Now we've found you, so if you wouldn't mind…" Vernon looked at Lupin, asking if he'd cooperate.

Remus nodded. "Yes, yes. But…can I see Harry?"

Vernon snorted. "As if I was seriously going to take you into my house, give you food and clothes, and question you, and _not_ let you visit the kid that's you're nephew as much as mine. Really, what did I ever do to give you that sort of impression?"

Remus gave a small smile. "Sorry. It's just been a while since anyone's been this nice to me."

When they reached the Dursleys' house, Vernon took him right in. Petunia had already made dinner and was more than happy to give some to Remus, who stared at the basic sandwich as though it were an expensive delicacy.

"So, what do you want to know?" he asked.

Petunia started. "Why did Lily and James go into hiding? The whole story, please, not the 'Voldemort was coming after them' half-truth."

Remus raised his eyebrows. Lily had always said that her sister was very to the point, but that was a very quick jump. Taking a bite, and swallowing it, he explained, "There's a lot of branches of magic. Some can be…honed better than others. Merlin, this can be hard to explain…Prophecy is probably the one branch that can't be honed, not really. Divination's the class, the 'official' prophecy course, but it can't teach a person to see the future, not really. You're born with it or you aren't…"

"What's the point of this lecture?" Petunia said impatiently. Vernon put a hand on her arm, silently reminding her to be polite. "Sorry, but we've been looking for an explanation for almost five years now. What does this have to do with Lily and James?"

"People who are truly born with this gift, seers, typically aren't known to be able to control it. They can't summon visions, they can't push them away…often times, they don't even see it themselves. They're more like messengers, really." Remus sighed before continuing. "A prophecy was made. I don't know the details, so please don't ask," he added, seeing Petunia open her mouth. "What it said was…was that Harry would be the one to defeat Voldemort." Remus rubbed his forehead. "Dumbledore heard the prophecy, so he had Lily and James go into hiding. And…we all know how well _that _worked."

They all sat in silence for a moment, and Vernon was the first to speak. "Did they use magic to try and hide? Certainly there are spells for that."

Remus nodded. "Yes, they tried to use magic to hide, but…" He rubbed his eyes, and Petunia noticed tears. "There's this spell, the Fidelius Charm… It's a powerful charm. Basically, nobody can find you. They can be right outside, but they still won't find you…But it's dependent on one thing- a secret keeper. One person that you trust with your location. And if…if that person goes and tells…then it's worthless. And that's what happened to Lily and James."

Once again, there was silence as Remus mourned and Vernon and Petunia grasped this new information. Before, they'd only had Voldemort to blame- now it turned out that someone had betrayed Lily and James. Vernon held onto his knee and Petunia's hand. He let go after a few moments, realizing he was squeezing it too hard. Petunia didn't seem to notice her blood flow being cut off, however, staring at Remus.

"Who was it?" she asked quietly. "Who betrayed my sister?"

"Sirius," Remus answered, and his emotions were all spilling into those words. Grief, anger, despair, confusion, hatred, love. Everything he'd ever felt came out in that one word. Petunia narrowed her eyes, and Vernon's widened.

"Are you sure?" he asked Remus.

Remus shot him a look. "Of course I'm sure! Who else would be their secret keeper?" Vernon went to respond, but Petunia put her hand on his arm, as he had with her. Not now, she seemed to be saying. Let him rest. He's exhausted, in more ways than one.

Vernon sighed. "Thank you, Remus. This is…a lot. More than we hoped for. We have a spare room, you know." Remus looked at him, surprised. "I'm not kicking you back out on the streets, Remus. Please, stay as long as you like."

Remus nodded, and couldn't help but let out a huge yawn. The offer of a bed- an actual bed, in an actual house- reminded him how tired he really was. It had been too long since he'd had a nice night's rest. "Yes…Thank you, again. But…I'd like to see Harry first, if you don't mind."

"Not at all. His room's upstairs. The first one you'll see."

"Or," Petunia said plainly, "The one right next to it. He and Dudley can't seem to remember which is which, they spend so much time together." Remus shared a smile with her. He remembered a pair of boys that had been just like that…

**Hello! Sorry about the long wait, I've been busy... Graduating soon. And I'm also sorry to say that updates will probably continue to be slow until then.**

**So, was this any good? Please let me know. I do need feedback.**

**And for anyone who may be worried about the oc I've brought in, I'm pretty certain she isn't a Mary Sue. She isn't even a witch- she's a normal girl. Thing is, since these Dursleys are nice, and proactive, there will be parts with them in it while Harry's in Hogwarts. Dudley's gonna need some friends, too. He isn't a bully (Petunia and Vernon would die first), so his canon friends are a no-go (who do you thing he ended up fighting?) and there aren't really many other canon Muggles his age... So I HAD to create my own.**

**Please, though, if she ever gets annoying, or it seems like she is becoming unrealistic/ mary sue, let me know, okay?**


	3. Chapter 3

Remus had never felt so nervous as when he approached the door Petunia had directed him to. At one time, he'd been close to Harry, visiting often. He had been happy to embrace his title of 'honorary uncle' as James had put it. But it had almost five years since he'd seen Harry, and he didn't know what to expect.

He wasn't expecting anything bad, of course. From what he'd seen Petunia and Vernon Dursley were remarkable people. People who would do well with their children. But who was Harry? What was he like? What did he like? Remus felt somewhat silly, recalling that Harry was _five_, not twenty five. It was ridiculous to be thinking such things, as though Harry had already live his entire life; gone to Hogwarts; gotten a job; gotten married and had kids of his own. He was _five_.

He spent nearly a minute just looking at the door. Should he just go in? Should he knock on the door? He could hear little voices inside, Harry and his cousin having fun no doubt. Finally, he steeled himself, taking a deep breath. He lightly knocked on the door. The voices stopped. After a moment, the door opened.

Harry. Remus was struck by how much Harry looked like his parents. Messy black hair, the face; the same as James. And Lily's eyes. And Remus was sure the likeness would only grow as Harry aged. For a moment Remus thought of changing Harry's glasses so that they would look more like James'. He pushed the thought aside; Harry wasn't James, and he refused to make Harry think he should be. Behind Harry was his cousin, Dudley. He was taller than Harry, with a mixture of his own parents' features.

"Hello?" Harry said, staring up at Remus curiously.

Remus gave a warm smile. "Hello, Harry," he greeted the small child. He knelt down a bit.

"Er, who are you?" Harry was confused. Of course, he'd only been a baby when he'd last seen Remus. He wouldn't remember him.

"Ah, sorry. My name is Remus Lupin," Remus introduced himself, offering his (much larger) hand. Harry took it slowly.

"I'm Harry, this is my brother, Dudley." He pointed at Dudley.

Dudley gave a wide smile. "Hullo, Mr. Lupin!"

"Hello, Dudley. Do you think you could leave me and Harry alone for a bit?"

Dudley blinked. He walked over so that he was standing beside Harry. "Why?" he said suspiciously. He stared up at Remus stubbornly. Remus approved.

"I'm an old friend of his parents'. I've only just found out he was here, and I just want to talk to him."

Dudley and Harry waited a moment, Harry's staring up at him in wonder, and Dudley furrowing his eyebrows. "If you're a friend of his parents', why are you coming here, just now?" Dudley looked at him challengingly, looking victorious.

"It's okay," Harry put in. He stepped forward. He looked to Dudley. "Mum and Dad wouldn't let anyone in that would hurt us. I believe Mr. Lupin." He looked over to Remus with a grin. "Come on in. Dudley…"

"I'll be with Mum and Dad." He ran off, leaving Remus alone with Harry. Harry went over and sat on the bed. He pointed at a small chair.

"You can sit, too, Mr. Lupin."

"Oh, er…thank you, Harry." Remus sat down on the child-sized chair, feeling all too uncomfortable. He sat like that for a moment. He burst up. "Sorry, Harry, would you mind if I made it larger?"

Harry frowned. "How would you do that?"

Oh! _Oh_. So Petunia and Vernon hadn't explained magic to him yet.

"Er, ignore that." He sat back down on the tiny chair. "I'm just so glad to see you after all this time."

"So we have met before…I must have been _really_ small then."

Remus chuckled. "You were just a baby. Yes, you were really small. You wouldn't remember, but I used to visit often." Remus gave a small smile. "James always said I was your unofficial uncle."

"I'm sorry I don't remember you. So…how did you know my parents exactly?"

"School friends. We met when we were eleven and starting school together. There were a couple others…"

"What happened to them? Will I ever meet them?"

Remus shook his head sadly. "No, Harry, I'm afraid you won't be visited by any more of your father's friends. They're…dead. I'm the only one left."

An awkward, mournful silence set upon them. Remus tried not to think about them…without much luck. Harry was the first to break it.

"Oh…That's bad. Er, what happened to them, again?"

"Bad people happened."

"Hm," Harry acknowledged. "And there's nothing more to that story."

Remus blinked. "Well, Harry, congratulations on being the first sarcastic five year old I've ever met."

"Thank you! Really, what really happened?"

Remus sighed. "It's complicated."

"I like complicated things." Harry bluntly told him.

"I mean really complicated—I'm still sorting through it myself, and I'm twenty years older than you."

"Maybe I can help. Besides, it really sounds interesting now."

This was James and Lily's son alright. He'd inherited their intelligence, Lily's curiosity and James' amazing ability to give people headaches. "It's…not age appropriate. Ah, I'll tell you in a few years. Er, I need to go talk to your aunt. Excuse me."

Remus walked out of the room quickly, blushing. What was he supposed to have done? He found Petunia, Vernon, and Dudley in the living room. Dudley was watching TV, cheering for one of the characters. His parents weren't paying attention to the show, whispering to each other, and writing in a notebook. Dudley noticed that Remus had entered. He grinned.

"You're done talking to Harry. Great!" He leapt up, and ran to Harry's room.

Petunia and Vernon looked up, and quickly closed the notebook, putting it away.

"It's great to see him again," Remus admitted. "He looks so much like James, I can hardly believe it…"

"Please refrain from comparing Harry to his father," Petunia practically commanded. "He is not James after all, and isn't Lilly either. He is his own person, and Vernon and I will not allow others to bully him into trying to be his parents."

"Of course," Remus quickly agreed. "It was just…spooky, I suppose you could say. I've never seen a child that looked that much like one parent."

"That's what I said," Vernon laughed. "I told Tuny here, that if Harry had been born a girl, then she'd have looked exactly like Lily, with James' eyes." He and Remus shared a laugh.

Petunia frowned disapprovingly. "And I told Vernon here, that that's _not _how genetics work."

Remus sat down on a chair near them. Thankfully, it was adult-sized. "You haven't told Harry about magic," he noted.

"Not entirely sure how we could," Vernon muttered. "Bloody hell, that Dumbledore person just dropped Harry off, with nothing but a letter. How're we supposed to explain magic to him? It's not as though we could give an example or anything."

Remus raised his eyebrows. "Dumbledore…just dropped him off? With nothing but a letter?"

Petunia nodded, lips pressed together in irritation at Dumbledore.

"You're certain? Well…that wasn't…" Remus sighed. "I'm sure Dumbledore just made a mistake. There's no way he _meant_ to leave you and Harry clueless until he's eleven. No, it must have been an accident." Remus brightened. "Well, you have me here, don't you? I'm a wizard. I'm of age. I'm sure nobody would mind if I explained magic to Harry. I can even give him an example!" He hopped up. "I could it right now, even!"

Petunia and Vernon exchanged a glance. "Thank you, Remus…Just, please, be careful when explaining." She stopped herself for a moment. She sighed. "We'll have to explain and show Dudley, too. No sense in leaving him in the dark, especially when Harry would tell him anyways. But…I can't help but worry. When Lily got her Hogwarts letter, and we found out that she was a witch…I was jealous," she admitted. "I was so completely jealous of her. And I nearly let that destroy my relationship with her. And there were moments, believe me, when I entertained just letting it. Considered just hating her, and hating magic…I can almost see that life, a life in which I went and just hated my sister, and…I don't want to think about it." Petunia hesitated, and collected herself. "My point is that I really don't want the same thing to happen to Harry and Dudley. They aren't cousins, Remus. They are brothers in their eyes. I just don't want their relationship to be broken by jealousy like mine nearly was."

Vernon took Petunia's hand. "Petunia, I can't make any guarantee that Dudley won't be jealous. I can't guarantee that this won't change their relationship. But I can say this: their relationship is strong, without cracks or dents. They don't have any problems. You and Lily, on the other hand, there were already problems. You know I don't mean to be rude to your parents or anything, but I blame them. They…favored Lily, and that just wasn't fair to you. They always said she was prettier, that she was smarter, that she was better… And your parents should _not_ have done that. Now, I'm no psychologist, but I'm pretty sure that left you with a few issues." Seeing Petunia's raised eyebrow, he quickly continued. "Obviously, I'm not calling you crazy…but anyone would understand why you were jealous. But they were wrong, you know," he said to her quietly. "You are just as pretty, as intelligent, and overall wonderful as Lily. Anyone that doesn't see that doesn't deserve to know you." He cleared his throat, and raised his voice, noticing that Remus had been trying to be quiet during their moment. "This situation is different. There isn't any jealousy or preexisting issues between Harry and Dudley, no cracks waiting to be hit with a hammer." He stopped, looking at Petunia. She looked at Remus.

Remus shrugged. "Well, I don't know him too well. But I must say, I am all the more impressed with you Petunia, if that comparison is what you grew up with, and you've still turned out as good as you have. And, I'd honestly never realized there were any problems between you and Lily."

"I got over them as got older," Petunia said simply.

"Well, then," Remus said thoughtfully. I think everything should be fine between Harry and Dudley. I mean, when I saw them together earlier…I think this should turn out all right." Petunia smiled. "So…should I do it now then? Get it out of the way?"

Vernon nodded. He and Petunia stood up. "We should be present for this. I'm sure they'll appreciate some more familiar company."

They went back to Harry's room. They opened the door…empty. Petunia shook her head, rolling her eyes. They went to the next door, Dudley's room. They opened the door, and Harry and Dudley looked up from their own conversation. Dudley leapt up.

"Could you really not tell Harry what happened because it wasn't age-approp'rate," Dudley struggled with the word, "Or was that a lie so you wouldn't have to tell him?"

Remus felt himself go slack-jawed. He looked over to Petunia and Vernon who looked amused.

"Harry, Dudley, Remus here has something to tell you. It's very important," Vernon told them. The two boys looked excited. Petunia began to observe Dudley's reactions, prepared to intervene if it looked like this would cause problems.

Remus took a deep breath. "What I'm about to tell you does not leave the house, understand?" The boys looked even more excited; there was a hint of mischief. "Telling people in breaking the law," he quickly said. "Understand?" Now the boys were taking it seriously, they both nodded. "Magic is real. I know this because I'm a wizard. We do our best to keep our existence a secret. We have practically a whole secret world, our secret country almost. We have our own school, where young witches and wizards go to learn magic." He smiled. "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…That's where I went. And that's where your parents went, Harry." Harry's jaw dropped. He looked to Vernon and Petunia for confirmation. Vernon nodded.

"So…does that mean…am I?"

"Yes, Harry. You're a wizard. And when you're eleven, you're going to Hogwarts." Remus smiled.

"But…what about Dudley?" Harry said. Dudley had been silent.

"Harry, Mum and Dad aren't magical. I'm pretty sure I'm not a wizard." Dudley said it sadly, but acceptingly. It was more than Petunia had dared hope for.

"But I don't want to go without Dudley! Can't he come too? Please? Please? I don't have any wizard friends!"

"Harry," Petunia stepped forward. "You'll make new friends. And it's not as though you have to leave the not-magical world behind."

"She's right, Harry," Remus put in. "I met your parents in Hogwarts, as well as two other boys…They were my first real friends, and even if they're dead now, I wouldn't change the fact that I was gifted with the chance to know them for anything. And I know you'll make friends, Harry. You're far too likable to not make friends." Remus smiled warmly. Harry looked over to Dudley, who gave an almost-entirely-honest-but-not-quite smile. Harry nodded to Remus.

"Okay. I'll try." Harry frowned. "So…what sort of things can wizards _do_, exactly?"

Remus grinned. "Oh, all sorts of things, Harry. What would you like me to do?"

Harry looked thoughtful. He and Dudley exchanged a guilty glance. "Can you fix my lamp?" He pointed over to a corner, in which there was a broken lamp. Petunia and Vernon were surprised.

"What happened to your lamp?" Petunia asked sternly.

Dudley blushed. "Er, that was my fault. We were playing superheroes with our toys. I decided mine had the power to fly…so I made fly…er, by that…"

"He threw it," Harry stated bluntly.

Dudley nodded. "And my toy is a terrible flyer. Flew right into the lamp."

"Can you fix it, please?"

Suppressing a smile, Remus cast a simple reparo. How many times had he had to clean up after his friend's antics?

Harry and Dudley gasped, with wide eyes, and looked excitedly over to him.

"Wow!"

"That's incredible!"

"Thanks," Vernon told Remus.

"Any time," Remus said. At least he was doing something. "Dudley, you look like you want to say something…Have you got a request? I'm happy to take suggestions," he said, giving an over-the-top bow. Harry laughed.

"Can you make Harry indestructible?" Dudley asked, struggling to pronounce the last word. Remus blinked. He hadn't seen _that_ one coming. He looked over to Petunia and Vernon who looked almost as surprised as he was. He looked back to Dudley and Harry, who was looking puzzled at Dudley.

"I can't make people indestructible. At least not forever…" Dudley looked disappointed. "There are spells to repel things, from places or from people, and there are shielding spells, but there's never been a spell to completely make a person invincible, at least not permanently."

"Oh," Dudley said.

Remus sighed. He took his wand and pointed it at Harry. "Impervius." He waited a few moments. "Aguamenti!" The water went towards Harry, but it wouldn't quite touch him. Harry was completely dry. Dudley grinned at Remus. "It'll wear off fairly quickly." Remus yawned. He realized he was quite tired…it had been a fairly exhausting day, albeit the best day he'd had in a long time.

"The guest room is all ready for you, Remus," Petunia told him. She smiled.

"Thank you, Petunia." He turned to the boys. "I'm afraid the show is over for tonight, boys. I've got to sleep. Merlin knows how long it's been since I've had a good night's rest…I'll be here in the morning and you know I'll talk to you. Good night." Petunia led him down the hall to the guest room. "He wanted me to make Harry indestructible," Remus mused.

"It's a shame it can't be done," Petunia said suddenly, yet quietly. As they reached the room, and she led him inside she looked him in the eye. "That prophecy you mentioned…it worries me, Remus. It really does."

"It's already done."

"I'm not so sure…I just can't help but think that a bit of indestructibility may be needed in the future."

**So...**

**Sorry! I know it's been too long since I last updated this. Feel free to hunt me down with pitchforks and torches.**

**I hope this was okay though...Feel free to punish me by not reviewing, but I'm still saying pretty please with cherries on top.**

**Hope this was good!**


	4. Chapter 4

When Remus awoke the next morning, he was surprised to feel warmth and comfort, not recalling the previous day's events. Then, he remembered; being found by Vernon; being taken to the Dursleys' home; telling them what he knew; meeting Harry.

Harry.

A grin came to Remus' face and he leapt out of the bed, running out of the room. He tried to be quiet (and he had plenty of practice of that during his marauder days) as he reached Harry's room, and slowly opened the door. He watched Harry sleeping peacefully, almost smiling in his sleep. His glasses were on a nightstand to the right of his bed. A few rays of sunlight were peeking through the curtains. Remus recalled many similar scenes with James in the morning. _I almost feel bad for his future housemates_, Remus thought, _if Harry is anywhere near as difficult to wake up._

After a few minutes of walking around the house, he realized that he was the only one awake. He stood and looked at a picture of the Dursleys and Harry. Muggle pictures didn't move, and many wizards felt that they were less alive…They tended to find them creepy, much as Muggleborns did when they first saw the moving pictures in the Wizarding world. He'd heard wizards call Muggle pictures 'dead' before. The picture he was looking at, however, looked just as alive as any moving one. It appeared to be one of the boy's birthdays—probably Dudley's, as he was the one holding a wrapped present, and was in the middle. He was giving a huge smile, showing that he was missing a tooth. Harry was right next to him, wearing a blue long-sleeved shirt, laughing. Vernon and Petunia were dressed casually, and Petunia was holding a plates and a knife (Remus could almost see her cutting the cake right after the picture). There were two other people in the picture (and probably one other person who took it). One was a woman around Petunia's age, with brunette hair and light blue eyes. The other was a little girl, around the same age as Harry, with strawberry blond hair and blue eyes. Remus figured the girl was probably the woman's daughter. The girl was nervously offering another gift to Dudley (Remus bet that it was the first time the girl had been to a birthday probably. He remembered his first time, how he'd been so nervous that he'd gotten a bad gift) and her mother smiling and talking to Vernon.

It certainly wasn't a planned photo, with everyone in their best clothes, and prepared. Nobody was in organized positions. But Remus could see why they put it onto their wall. That picture was alive.

Remus went to the kitchen. He looked around, saw what they had in their storage. He observed their oven, and having inspected it carefully, came to the conclusion that he knew how it worked. He decided he'd make breakfast for them. It was the least he could do, after all. Of course, he didn't actually know what everyone liked…He ultimately grabbed a numerous ingredients; he'd just make a little bit of everything.

A few minutes after he started, Petunia came in, rubbing her eyes. She stopped as she saw him making breakfast. "I thought I was still half-asleep," she commented. "I guess I wasn't imagining the smell, then."

"I hope it's a good smell," Remus prompted nervously.

Petunia let out a small smile. "It smells great, Remus. Is that…blueberry?"

Remus nodded. "Muffins," he answered. "I don't know what any of you like, so I'm making eight—two for every flavor. So two are blueberry, as you noticed; two are lemon; two are apple; and two are banana. I would have put nuts in one, but I'm afraid that I couldn't find any…"

"That's fine," Petunia said. "Dudley will definitely take the banana ones, and he's allergic to multiple types of nuts."

"Which was why there weren't any in your storage," Remus concluded. Somehow knowing this little detail made him feel just a little bit more connected to this family. And he liked that. It had been far too long since he'd had any meaningful contact. "There aren't any other allergies I need to know about, are there?"

"Vernon has spring allergies," she deadpanned. "But nothing you need to be worried about."

He turned as he saw Vernon walk in, already dressed. He stopped and looked at them. Looking into the oven, he asked, "Lemon?" Remus nodded. "And apple, blueberry and banana. How did you know? I know Petunia wasn't up before you must have begun making them."

Remus shrugged. "I don't really know what any of you like," he admitted. "I just grabbed what was available and guessed, really."

"Good guess," Vernon said approvingly.

Within ten minutes, breakfast was ready and Harry and Dudley were sitting with them. As Petunia had said, Dudley had immediately taken a banana muffin, thanking Remus with a full mouth. Harry alternated between eating and struggling to comb his hair, as Petunia watched, shaking her head. Remus smiled.

"Harry," he said. "I don't think that's going to work. Your father's hair was the same—it just refused to be neat and tame. I remember a couple of occasions, a couple of dates, and a dance in our fourth year, in which he tried to comb it. It never worked." Remus rolled his eyes. "In fact by the time of our fifth year, he gave up altogether. He developed the habit of making it _worse_ on purpose."

Harry blinked, putting the comb down. "But…why would he make his hair messier?" he asked in confusion.

Remus smiled fondly. "A girl in our year told him he looked like he just played quidditch. It wasn't supposed to be a compliment, but he took it as one."

Harry frowned. "What's Qwid Itch?"

Remus almost laughed. "One of your father's favorite things. But, seriously, it's a sport played on broomsticks. Er," he said, trying to find a good way to describe quidditch. "There's seven players on each team. Three chasers; they carry a large ball called the Quaffle and throw it into one of three rings to score points. There's two beaters; they hit these ball called Bludgers…those balls try to hit players. The beaters protect their teammates, and try to hit them to the other team." Petunia looked at him discretely as Vernon choked on his orange juice; in his head he was picturing teenagers being hit with hostile balls. "There's one keeper," Remus continued. "They guard the rings. And then there's one seeker. They look for and try to catch the Snitch, which it a small golden ball. It's extremely hard to catch."

Dudley had been paying attention throughout the explanation. "The points aren't the same, though, right? I mean, between catching the Snitch and scoring with the quaffle. They're worth different points?"

Remus nodded. "Scoring with the quaffle is ten points. Catching the Snitch, on the other hand is worth one hundred and fifty points."

Harry all but leapt out of his seat. "But that's not fair!" he protested. "One hundred and fifty points? The other team wouldn't stand a chance. They could play all day, be one hundred and forty points ahead, and then the other team gets the Snitch, and they lose." Harry frowned. "That's no fair."

Remus stared. "Well…I suppose I never really thought about that," he admitted. "I mean…no one really…Perhaps the Snitch is given a little too much weight. Although," he recalled. "There have been occasions where a team would catch the Snitch but lose the game."

Harry looked at him blankly. "The other team would have to be at least one hundred and sixty points ahead to actually win. How often does this happen?"

"Not often," Remus admitted after a moment. There was an awkward silence. "Do you have any other question about magic, Harry? I know my explanation was rather short yesterday."

Harry's eyes lit up. "Loads!" He thought a moment. He looked at his food. "Can you create food? I mean, you shouldn't have to buys stuff, right? You could just create it?"

Remus shook his head. "Food is an exception of sorts—wizards can't create it out of nothing. We can summon it, if we already know where it is, or we can multiply it. But we can't create it."

Harry scowled. "That's dumb."

Remus shrugged. "That's life."

Harry thought for a few more seconds. He looked at the comb he'd been using. "Can magic fix my hair?"

Remus' lip twitched. "There are a few magical hair products. James never bothered with them, even when he did try to make his neater. They varied in quality, and the best of them tended to be expensive. That's without mentioning how time-consuming they were. I remember a girl," Remus said. "Who spent nearly seven hours straightening her hair. She told me afterwards, that it was a ridiculous amount of time to spend on it."

"So it's a bad idea?" Harry deduced.

"Mostly just a waste of time. Your hair's fine the way it is, Harry."

"I don't suppose you'd mind if I asked a question?" Vernon joined the conversation.

"Not at all," Remus said.

"I've just been wondering a bit about your government. James and I talked about it sometimes, but we never went too far into detail."

"Well…" Remus began. "We're led by the Minister for Magic. Then we have numerous departments, and even more subsections to those. There's the Department of Magical Games and Sports, there's the Department of Magical Transportation, there's the Department of International Magical Cooperation…and more than that."

"Such as law enforcement?" Vernon inquired.

"Yes," Remus confirmed.

"That's like what dad does, right?" Dudley asked.

Remus nodded. "And Harry's own father." Harry looked up. "He was roughly the equivalent of a police officer." Harry grinned.

"And they usually hold trials for the accused, right?" Vernon asked, his tone taking a serious turn. Remus was no longer smiling.

"Usually. But," he said coldly. "If it was beyond doubt that they were guilty, the ministry may not bother."

"Hm," Vernon acknowledged. "Won't bother? So the ministry is lazy?"

"On the contrary," Remus returned. "They're overly busy. And sometimes, a trial is simply pointless. Such as, I don't know, being the only person who could betray certain information, or killing thirteen people in broad daylight in the middle of a street. Oh, but I suppose this person is falsely accused!" he ended sarcastically. His tone had slowly gotten louder as he'd continued. He was now openly glaring at Vernon.

"Remus," Petunia reprimanded. She frowned as she recalled that Remus and Vernon were adults. They both ignored her.

"I'm not saying this hypothetical man is innocent," Vernon said, though the three adults all knew it wasn't hypothetical. "I'm merely pointing out that it's not okay to throw them into prison for the rest of their life without giving them the chance to defend themselves."

"Oh, yes," Remus snapped. "We should give the doubtlessly guilty a nice good chance to gloat; about betraying their friends, killing them, blowing people up—"

Dudley turned to Harry. "I think this is one of those adult conversations. You know, the ones we aren't supposed to listen to."

Harry nodded as he heard something about eating death and sucking souls. "Let's go outside," he suggested. "We can play in the back."

Dudley grinned. "You can pretend to be a wizard-king, and I'll be your guard."

The two ran off, leaving the adults alone. Remus sighed, putting his head in his hands. "I don't understand," he said. "Why are you so determined to give Si…Black a trial? We all know he's guilty." His voice constricted a bit; he could feel a slight pain there, as he tended to when he cried or was about to cry. He didn't want to cry right now though; he was too angry, and he refused to cry in the middle of the argument.

"Do we?" Vernon asked. "Do we know that Sirius Black is guilty? I'm sorry, Remus, I really am sorry to ruin any sense of resolution you have, but this doesn't feel right. It feels messy, dirty."

"What Vernon is saying," Petunia stated. "Is that there are a considerable amount of holes. One notable hole is that the crimes Sirius allegedly committed simply don't fit his moral character."

"Moral character," Remus remarked dryly. "You don't know him."

"No as well as we should have," Vernon replied. "But you did. For ten years, you knew him. Can you honestly say these crimes could be committed by the Sirius you've known?"

Remus frowned a bit, and hesitated for a moment. The he resignedly shook his head. "I never knew him. Neither did James…nobody really did."

"Perhaps this is the problem," Petunia thought aloud. Her intelligent eyes focused on Remus who miserably paid attention. "You operate under the foundation that the Sirius you know isn't real. This is irrational. Our conclusion can only be reached on the grounds that the Sirius you think is real—that the ministry thinks is real—is, in fact, the imaginary persona."

Remus groaned, though internally, he was interested; what convinced the Dursleys that Sirius could be innocent? "The Sirius I knew, thought I knew, wasn't real. He was just a slimy snake. Hiding in our ranks," he growled. "Gaining our trust…with our homes, our lives, our children. And then he attacked. And we've all suffered for it…The Sirius I _thought_ I knew never existed."

"That would be quite the façade," Petunia remarked. "He'd have been holding it up from the age of…eleven? That would be a rather difficult deception to maintain, especially for such a long time…without even considering his age." She paused a moment, giving Remus a few seconds to absorb her words. "I remember Lily's first letter from Hogwarts," she continued. "She told me that you were sorted by a hat that went into you mind. Am I correct?" Remus nodded, looking at her blankly. "Some people are good at deceiving others. And some people really can maintain the mask for years…but I don't think any eleven year old would be capable of planning out a betrayal, years ahead, and deceiving someone who's _inside their mind_."

Remus stood up abruptly. "I'm sorry," he said quickly. "I just, I mean." He took a deep breath. "You've really brought up some memories…they're all rather painful now."

"I apologize," Vernon said, picking up a few plates.

"No, no," Remus dismissed. "They needed to be brought up." He was quiet for a moment. "I've been looking at this wrong," he murmured. He shook his head. "I need to leave. I need to…to…I need to go talk to a few people. You may have a point, and if you're right, _dear Merlin_, if you're right…!" He looked at the plates, and used magic to clean them quickly. Then he disapparated, leaving Vernon and Petunia alone.

"Well," Vernon said. "That could have gone better."

Petunia was still looking where Remus had been a moment before. She sighed, shaking her head. "Honestly? I was expecting it to be worse," she mock-glared at her husband. "Really, was it necessary to try and interrogate him in the morning?"

He shrugged. "I'm a police officer, and the whole thing with Sirius has been a thorn in my conscience. Especially since Remus has actually believed that he was guilty."

They sat in silence.

In a place, far, far away, a man screamed as dementors passed his cell; he was innocent.

**Well...here's the fourth chapter! I hope everyone liked it!**

**There were originally going to be a couple more things in this chapter, but it really developed a will of its own, and so those things are going to be moved to the next, or possibly the one after that. (I try to keep my chapters roughly the same length.)**

**Coming soon:Dudley's feeling on Harry going to Hogwarts, Remus is job-hunting, Aunt Marge is coming for a visit. That's all I'm spoiling for now...**

**I've already planned out the sortings of the characters. More than one is being changed: I dare you to try and gues WHO and WHERE they're being sorted now. I enjoy people's guesses.**

**So...yeah.**


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